Spiritual Leadership: The Quest for Integrity

by Leonard Doohan

Leadership today―whether in religion, healthcare, politics, business, or any other sphere of endeavor, needs a change of heart―requires a discovery of one's inner self and values, a renewal, a conversion. It requires new qualities such as faith, vocation, vision, integrity, community-building, contemplation, and spirituality. Spiritual Leadership was written for those individuals who want to integrate their leadership role with the values of their lives. Spiritual leadership is a form of ongoing daily conversion that unites what we do and how we do it with who we are and the values that motivate us in life. Spiritual leadership is a form of faith-motivated commitment, a sense of call to live in a new way with new priorities and to make all judgments in light of these values. It is the result of a deliberate personal choice that is motivated by love. In that context, this • Responds to the current need for an integrative approach to leadership • Shows the attitudes to leadership result from the inner values of mind and heart • Presents the new qualities of leadership as faith, vision, integrity, community-building, contemplation, and spirituality • Provides a model of spiritual leadership • Outlines the stages in the development of an organization led by a spiritual leader • Sees leadership as a faith-motivated commitment • Reacts to today’s climate of abuse of power and of arrogance Author Leonard Doohan explains that the essence of spiritual leadership lies in focusing on others rather than on oneself and moving away from self-centeredness to other-centeredness, and even to self-transcendence. This book challenges individuals make a personal journey in search of their own authenticity and destiny in this world and to discover a breakthrough to a new vision of one’s role in the world. †

Genres: Leadership

176 pages, Paperback

First published September 14, 2007

Reviews

[Susan Halvor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another book that's taken me years to finish, but it's been so helpful, and given me a model of leadership that feels far more authentic to me than popular culture images of leaders. It's deeply rooted in Christianity/Catholicism; might not be as appealing to someone outside those traditions.
Some of my favorite quotes:
Leaders are born in crisis, and without crisis, there are no leaders, just managers (p 13)
...I would like to be persuaded that a leader... Is a person who has journeyed within self and there found core values that nurture all else. (13)
Leaders do not control. They enable others to act. Control guarantees the diminish net of excellence. (47)
I probably need to start it again from the beginning...

[Taylor Peace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very similar to servant leadership. Doohan made good points and thoroughly described spiritual leadership. However, it felt very repetitive and just a series of lists.

[Lydia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, well worth a read. Will change your view of spirituality and leadership or explain things that you are already doing, both spiritually and in your leadership.

[Mark Andrews · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't recommend this. Seems like a summary of what dozens and dozens of other people have written about leadership --- boiled down to "spiritual leaders are, or do, this, and this, and this . . ." Not helpful.

[Rev. Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a spirituality of leadership written for those individuals who want to integrate their leadership with the values of their lives. -- One of the text for a Fall 2016 course at Brite, "Spiritual Life and Leadership".